Too Bad “Sanitize” Doesn’t Mean “Make More Sane”

My husband and I decide to do a bit of shopping at our small-town grocery store. As we go to check out our overflowing basket of groceries, there is one lady with a very full cart in front checking out. 

The checkouts at this chain have a small belt that the cashier uses to check out your groceries, and then it splits into two longer belts so that two customers can bag up their groceries at the same time, making the lines go faster. 

As the lady ahead of us finishes paying and goes to the end of the conveyer to bag off her items, my husband and I step forward. He places the very heavy basket on top of the return baskets and starts putting up a few of the items onto the belt.

Cashier: “SIR! I’M GOING TO HAVE TO ASK YOU TO PLACE YOUR ITEMS BACK IN YOUR BASKET UNTIL I HAVE SANITIZED MY STATION!”

My husband and I jump, alarmed by her yelling at the top of her lungs instead of just telling us. We apologize and collect our two things back into our basket and wait as she sprays down her tiny conveyor belt and PIN pad with sanitizer.

Cashier: “Okay! You can now place your items.”

We set up all our groceries on the belt, and as we finish emptying our basket, we shuffle down the line to pay. Now my husband is in front of the PIN pad, but I am the one paying and he is a rather large man.

Husband: *Chuckling* “Whoops, sorry, babe. I’ll just—”

He takes a single step to the side so I can reach the PIN pad to pay, but suddenly, the cashier takes a sharp intake of breath and belts out:

Cashier: “SIR! YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE PREVIOUS CUSTOMER TO FINISH BAGGING HER GROCERIES! THERE IS A HEALTH CRISIS GOING ON AND WE HAVE TO RESPECT OTHERS!!!”

Husband: *Now flustered* “I w-was just making room for my wife to pay!”

Me: “Sorry about that!” 

I hurriedly pull out my card and finish up paying.

Cashier: “Hmph!”

Since this cashier was shouting this out, the poor woman who is at the end bagging up her things is obviously embarrassed and starts just throwing her food into her bags to try to finish up quicker, until she picks up a can and looks perplexed.

It is then that the woman, my husband, and I look down and see that the cashier has tossed our stuff literally on top of this poor woman’s remaining groceries rather than use the second split belt. So, as my husband and I awkwardly stay put and look on, the woman has to pick through OUR groceries to find her own! Now, with all her things bagged up, she is beet red in the face.

Woman: *Mumbles* “I’m so sorry for touching your groceries!”

And she books it out of the store.

Husband: “So, what was all the shouting about making sure you sanitize?! Aren’t you going to clean this belt, as well? You just threw our groceries on top of a complete stranger’s and she had to go through all our stuff!”

Cashier: “Sir, I am just doing what I’m trained to do!”

Husband: “Well, you were trained poorly the—”

Me: *Elbowing him lightly* “[Husband]! Shut up! I just want to get out of here!”

Cashier: “SIR, IS THIS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ME FOLLOWING PROTOCOL?!”

Other customers started staring over at us as this lady was yelling her head off, making it seem like we were a couple of idiots arguing with her over masks or such, so we threw our stuff together and got out of there!